Re: Inexorable Altercation [Round II - Armada]
10-27-2010, 05:04 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.
"Ok, if I can just attach this rope-"
OTTO's thoughts vocalised, muffled by a thick rope clamped between his mechanical jaws, were interrupted as the breeze changed direction and nearly yanked him off his feet. Ignoring O'Rylath's derision, the robot put a little more grit into it, and managed to wrap it once round one of the masts like a pulley-
BOOM.
OTTO instinctively ducked, losing his grip and hissing with frustration as the rope slithered out of his jaws again. The boom arcing around to smack him in the back of the skull didn't improve his mood either.
"Who was that?"
For once, O'Rylath saved his host the snark and tried to be helpful. "Your sensors indicate an anomalous entity was in the blast radius - previous scans would lead me to assume it's Voitrach."
"Huh. What's he doing blowing up boats?" The dracobot conceded another jab would be forthcoming from the Being, and went to grab the errant rope again so he had an excuse to not come up with a retort. To his surprise, the spirit was pensive, before finally replying in cautious tones,
"He is the most implacable of our foes, and I speculate someone else must've seen him as enough of a threat - much as I doubt any sort of explosive from whatever archaic age we're stranded in would be capable of damaging a black hole. Still... it certainly does not bode well for us if the humans renege on their promises of alliance as soon as they are out of each other's sight."
"... We should probably find Apathy." The robot's reply was quiet even with the mouthful of rope, but the creak as sails caught wind and the ship beneath them protested into reluctant motion was encouraging.
"For once, I'm inclined to agree with you."
OTTO felt oddly relieved at that last bit of snark, and cemented it with an encouraging graunching noise as he dug his claws into the aft deck, still gripping the rope in his teeth. He twisted it as best as he could round the helm without releasing it, then gave it an experimental tilt.
The galleon, no longer sluggishly plowing through the water, glided in a smooth arc away from Loran's destroyed ship. OTTO would've given a triumphant whoop, but with a mouth full of rope he settled for a satisfied grunt. O'Rylath kept a metaphorical eye on the scans, trying to find their electromancer.
"... Intriguing."
"Whu'?"
"Oh, your scans indicate Apathy's on that craft. The portmost one - that's left assuming you didn't know - in that row of four. Judging from the tech readings, that Will Haven man's with her."
OTTO dug his metal talons a little deeper into the wood, and dragged the ship's bulk toward the craft the Being indicated. "Whu's the hurprih' for, then?"
"Please, don't look, but you're picking up an unidentified life source from that isolated galleon straight starboard of us... now. Rather powerful too, I might add."
The war machine swung his head around, following his sensors instead of trying to decode O'rylath's nautical jargon. "Tha' whu-"
O'rylath might've said "I told you not to do that," but OTTO certainly didn't catch it as the Spanish ship compliantly keeled round, abandoning its previous parrallel approach of the boat Apathy and Will were on. It opted instead for a perpendicular collision.
Apathy extricated herself from the railing she'd seized when Will had spotted OTTO's crash course. The dragon picked himeself up off the deck and nodded his chromed head sheepishly at the duo.
"What the hell was that for?"
"You try steering a ship with your mouth," OTTO retorted.
"Ok, if I can just attach this rope-"
OTTO's thoughts vocalised, muffled by a thick rope clamped between his mechanical jaws, were interrupted as the breeze changed direction and nearly yanked him off his feet. Ignoring O'Rylath's derision, the robot put a little more grit into it, and managed to wrap it once round one of the masts like a pulley-
BOOM.
OTTO instinctively ducked, losing his grip and hissing with frustration as the rope slithered out of his jaws again. The boom arcing around to smack him in the back of the skull didn't improve his mood either.
"Who was that?"
For once, O'Rylath saved his host the snark and tried to be helpful. "Your sensors indicate an anomalous entity was in the blast radius - previous scans would lead me to assume it's Voitrach."
"Huh. What's he doing blowing up boats?" The dracobot conceded another jab would be forthcoming from the Being, and went to grab the errant rope again so he had an excuse to not come up with a retort. To his surprise, the spirit was pensive, before finally replying in cautious tones,
"He is the most implacable of our foes, and I speculate someone else must've seen him as enough of a threat - much as I doubt any sort of explosive from whatever archaic age we're stranded in would be capable of damaging a black hole. Still... it certainly does not bode well for us if the humans renege on their promises of alliance as soon as they are out of each other's sight."
"... We should probably find Apathy." The robot's reply was quiet even with the mouthful of rope, but the creak as sails caught wind and the ship beneath them protested into reluctant motion was encouraging.
"For once, I'm inclined to agree with you."
OTTO felt oddly relieved at that last bit of snark, and cemented it with an encouraging graunching noise as he dug his claws into the aft deck, still gripping the rope in his teeth. He twisted it as best as he could round the helm without releasing it, then gave it an experimental tilt.
The galleon, no longer sluggishly plowing through the water, glided in a smooth arc away from Loran's destroyed ship. OTTO would've given a triumphant whoop, but with a mouth full of rope he settled for a satisfied grunt. O'Rylath kept a metaphorical eye on the scans, trying to find their electromancer.
"... Intriguing."
"Whu'?"
"Oh, your scans indicate Apathy's on that craft. The portmost one - that's left assuming you didn't know - in that row of four. Judging from the tech readings, that Will Haven man's with her."
OTTO dug his metal talons a little deeper into the wood, and dragged the ship's bulk toward the craft the Being indicated. "Whu's the hurprih' for, then?"
"Please, don't look, but you're picking up an unidentified life source from that isolated galleon straight starboard of us... now. Rather powerful too, I might add."
The war machine swung his head around, following his sensors instead of trying to decode O'rylath's nautical jargon. "Tha' whu-"
O'rylath might've said "I told you not to do that," but OTTO certainly didn't catch it as the Spanish ship compliantly keeled round, abandoning its previous parrallel approach of the boat Apathy and Will were on. It opted instead for a perpendicular collision.
Apathy extricated herself from the railing she'd seized when Will had spotted OTTO's crash course. The dragon picked himeself up off the deck and nodded his chromed head sheepishly at the duo.
"What the hell was that for?"
"You try steering a ship with your mouth," OTTO retorted.
peace to the unsung peace to the martyrs | i'm johnny rotten appleseed
clouds is shaky love | broke as hell but i got a bunch of ringtones
eyes blood red bruise aubergine | Sue took something now Sue doesn't sleep | saint average, day in the life of
woke up in the noon smelling doom and death | out the house, great outdoors
staying warm in arctic blizzard | that's my battle 'til I get inanimate | still up in the same clothes living like a gameshow
clouds is shaky love | broke as hell but i got a bunch of ringtones
eyes blood red bruise aubergine | Sue took something now Sue doesn't sleep | saint average, day in the life of
woke up in the noon smelling doom and death | out the house, great outdoors
staying warm in arctic blizzard | that's my battle 'til I get inanimate | still up in the same clothes living like a gameshow